


5 things

by tehsasu



Category: Captain America (2011), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-16
Updated: 2012-08-16
Packaged: 2017-11-12 06:37:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/487825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tehsasu/pseuds/tehsasu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are five things in the entire world that Bucky wouldn't change if given the chance to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	5 things

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lincesque](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lincesque/gifts).



> Just something quick I whipped up for a friend.

There are five things in the entire world that Bucky wouldn't change if given the chance to.

1\. His childhood  
Bucky would never stop thinking just how lucky he had been to have his parents even though both had departed from his life fairly early. They gave him everything he could ever need - clothes on his back, a roof over his head, food on the table but most importantly, a never ending supply of love. 

Sure there were things that were never perfect, nothing ever was. His parents barely were able to make ends meet despite working such long and gruelling hours but Bucky never complained.

Okay, he did complain. What kid wouldn't? There were so many kids at his school that were able to get the latest gadget or record or even the latest trendy clothes. But when he reached that age to understand what that pained and strained look crossing his parents' features every time he said something, he stopped and rechecked his attitude.

He became a model son, well as much as James "Bucky" Barnes could ever hope to be.

Bucky quickly discovered that he had a knack for sports and threw everything into them by joining a number of clubs at school. As he grew older and advanced through school, there were scholarships thrown his way and every time his team competed, they just kept growing in number. This made Bucky proud and happy. With one of the scholarships, he was sure to get into a good school without causing his parents too much financial grief on top of what they were already dealing with. With one of these, he'd make them proud.

2\. Protecting that scrawny kid from down the street  
That scrawny kid from down the street being his best friend Steve Rogers. Steve could probably go under the childhood category but considering Steve was still his best friend and partner in crime, he deserved his one point in this list.

Okay, so there wasn't any literal crime going on when they were growing up. Steve was too much a goody two-shoes and was the one that kept Bucky in line, well as much as possible. They were a couple of boys after all.

Bucky had known Steve since they were small kids. That small, frail looking body Steve had been stuck with meant that more often then not, they hung out in Steve's room as the poor guy was forever ill. Bucky didn't mind. He liked Steve.

When they were in school, Bucky had taken it upon himself to protect Steve. Steve had this strong sense of justice and hated bullies. Of course, bullies hated those who stood up against them, particularly by the smaller guy. Bucky had to hand it to Steve. What he lacked in strength, he made up in spirit and heart so Bucky was more then willing to protect Steve at all costs.

After the end of any fight, Bucky couldn't help but laugh at the pathetic attempt of Steve trying to be angry. After all, Steve would always 'have the guy on the ropes' or what ever it was that Steve would mumble as Bucky laughed.

3\. Serving his country  
After spending a good portion of his young life protecting his best friend, Bucky enlisted in the military not long after he turned eighteen. By that point, he had been living with Steve in an apartment, struggling to get by even worse then before since both of their parents had died and no one wanted teenagers. But that was okay. They had each other.

Bucky was the first to enlist. Steve finally managed a year later when he surprised Bucky by just how big and muscly he had gotten. They were designated the same unit much to their relief and they fought along side each other. 

The battles they went through and witnessed were stuff that hell was made out of. Bucky watched as men women, and to his horror children, were brought down in the midst of the war overseas. 

Every shot he fired, he always made it count and it was only to protect his fellow soldiers. Steve kept reminding him that every life was important and to protect as many people as possible.

That life is behind him now. He served his country, made his commanders proud and was able to get am honourable discharge when he needed to get away from the war and straighten out his head. Steve and his friends from the unit didn't think anything less of him. They encouraged it, especially when he had spent some time as a captive and watched his fellow soldiers get shot down in an attempted rescue. 

Though he was still plagued with nightmares of the battles he won and lost, he could never once regret choosing the life of a soldier.

4\. Moving to New York  
Eventually he settled in an apartment in New York. The city was full of life and energy amd after having spent so many years overseas only witnessing death and destruction, being the midst of city life sounded like a good idea. Of course, like most of his life, Steve eventually caught up, though he was still a soldier, he had requested to go into the reserves so he was able to attend Art College like he had always wanted.

New York had called to him. He managed to quickly find a nice single room apartment for a decent price. He had enough money saved up that he didn't exactly need to hurry to find a job but he ended up finding one not even a month after moving in. His days after that was full to the brim and the bonus of living in New York was that no two days were ever going to be the same.

5\. Spending way too much money at Stark Expo  
When he and Steve both had the same day off, Bucky dragged Steve off to 'the future' - aka Stark Expo – for some much-needed fun. They both welcomed the change of pace. Between Bucky’s full time work and Steve’s study, they were wearing themselves down. 

As they were enjoying themselves, Bucky had ended up picking up a couple of girls, his charms and good looks sealing the deal for a double date throughout the park. An announcement for the main event echoed across the Expo. Like a game, they raced towards it, wanting a good view to see the show.

People around them cheered and whistled as showgirls danced their way around the stage until one man, dressed in a fine suit, his hair gelled back and a pencil thin moustache across his lip waltzed out. When the girls vanished, and the man had given them a show of affection to one of the girls, the actual presentation began.

Bucky couldn’t take his eyes off the man. The man walked around and talked with such confidence and with every word spoken, you could tell that he was smarter then the average guy. 

Steve nudged him in the ribs. Bucky briefly flashed his best friend a warm smile before locking his eyes back on to the man.

At the end of the show, Bucky sighed and dismissed what ever was going through his head and tried to focus on the girls and having more fun before the day ended.

That man, turned out to be Howard Stark. A billionaire genius that took the world by storm. 

By the end of the night, Bucky wasn’t up to doing anything else and left the girls with an awkward looking Steve. Steve had sent him a text message not long after he left them, telling Bucky that the girls had said good night and that he’ll call him in the morning.

Bucky wondered the park with hands in his pockets. There was barely any one around, people taking their sweet time to go back home. He took the almost solitary walk with grace. When his feet stopped, he glanced up at the sky and sighed. This had been a good day, a much needed day and for the first time in a while, Bucky felt relaxed. 

Just as he was thinking about heading home, something caught his eye.

There was someone standing there staring at him. For the briefest moments their eyes met before the stranger diverted his eyes up to the sky. Bucky chuckled under his breath.

“Nice night,” Bucky called out.

“Enjoy the show?”

Bucky smiled, recognizing that voice, “It was all right.”

“Just all right?”

“Yep, just all right.”

By now, Bucky had a wide grin and a twinkle in his eye as he found the short exchange amusing. He could tell his answer baffled the man – a man used to being able to easily please the crowd with what ever he had to show.

The man closed the gap between them, a hand stretched out.

“Howard Stark.”

“Bucky Barnes.”

Both men returned charming smiles, as if sealing a deal. 

\----

And that was it. Wasn’t it? 

5 years down the track and life was still on the fast track. Every day was spent working. Steve had been honourably discharged from the army and had settled down in New York. Both he and Bucky moved into a slightly bigger apartment together and with both of their wages from full time jobs, they were able to live comfortably.

Steve became a part of team – Bucky had no idea what, Steve had tried to explain but every time, Bucky’s mind would always wonder to something more interesting – and through that team, Steve had found the one person which brightened his life even further. 

As for Bucky, Howard had become a familiar presence at his side. Howard had taken interest in Bucky after their short exchange back at Stark Expo that night. They quickly fell into a close friendship and when Steve and his partner finally snapped, it was pointed out that they were both thick headed and obviously in love with each other so to spare the rest of them, they should just hurry up and get into a relationship with each other.

Their first kiss was hesitant, as if testing the waters and giving the other the option to pull out. 

Neither did. 

\---

The news of legalization for same-sex marriage in New York was wide spread news. There were so many people cheering and partying at the news – finally everyone had an equal right to marry whom ever they wanted in New York. Of course, there were those that opposed but those people were largely ignored.

A few months after that news blew the world by storm, Bucky couldn’t help but notice Howard pulling away from him. Howard spent more time working and locking himself away in his workshop. The calls that usually happened every day became sparse and Bucky could feel that dread in the pit of his stomach build and choke him.

Steve was forced to watch as Bucky fell in a downward spiral. He had never seen his friend react like this before. In the past, Bucky's had his fair share of break ups, some nastier then others but this was something different. More then once, Steve had been called by Bucky's employer to come and pick him up before he did any real damage.

Growing sick of how badly of an influence Howard's absence was having on Bucky, Steve marched over to Howard's house one afternoon after work.

He wasn't even expecting being able to get through the front door but to his surprise, Howard quickly answered.

Steve took in Howard's disheveled look, the heavy bags under his eyes and the guilt that filled the air heavily. The anger and frustration that had driven him there in the first place evaporated.

"Howard what's wrong?" Steve asked, his good natured personality taking over.

"How's Bucky?" Howard asked, "Stupid question. He must hate me by now. I knew it. You're here to end it for him, are you?"

There was sheer panic in those hazel eyes staring at Steve and Steve wanted to slap the, noth over the head for being so stupid. They've been together for how long now, and they still had such a strong influence over each other. 

"What? No. I'm not here for that. Bucky doesn't hate you, don't think he could ever do that. Why have you stopped talking to him?" Steve asked.

Howard's eyes lighted up with a small spark of hope and the tension seemed to ease up on the man's shoudlers. He ran a hand through his hair and paced around for a bit.

"It wasn't supposed to be for this long. I had it all planned out but then work got in the way and I needed to focus on that and by the time I realised it, the date was quickly approaching and still nothing was really ready and I hadn't really talked to Bucky all that much or even seen him," Howard rushed out, starting to panic again the more he talked.

Steve felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lips. "You're both idiots, you know that? If talking on the phone was hard, you could have just sent him a text or email. Howard you always have your phone or laptop with you. You're a genius, what happened?"

Steve watched as it dawned on Howard that he had those two options and then there was that pained look like he should be punishing himself for missing the obvious.

"I just want to hear his voice again," Howard answered after a moment of silence.

Steve sighed, "Then call him. Shrink your plans a bit and include Bucky in them."

\---

By the time Steve came home, Bucky was in a better mood - if better meant he was no longer moping around and now fidgeting with nerves. The behaviour made Steve frown. What had happened?

Bucky ignored Steve as much as he could. He spent the next few days pacing around their apartment, barely eating and barely sleeping. 

He was nervous. He was beyond nervous. More then that, Bucky thought he was in the midst of a panic attack that just wouldn't leave him be.

Howard had called him. Explained that Steve had came over and that they needed to talk. Howard set the time and place to meet. That was in two days time. Two days of being angry at Steve for being the reason why Howard had finally decided to acknowledge his existence again and two days of dreading the absolute worse. 

Honestly, Bucky almost preferred being ignored then waiting for the inevitable end.

\---

As promised, Bucky met Howard at the meeting place. Due to nerves, he had arrived about twenty minutes early though, Howard was there already.

Howard was startled when Bucky showed. For a moment, he looked confused and checked his watch but nodded his head in acceptance. 

"Follow me," Howard said, pocketing his hands and walking off.

Bucky faltered to demand an answer as to what was going on and instead fell into silence and followed Howard.

They walked in silence, Bucky dragging his feet and keeping his eyes ficused on the ground passing his feet.

He stopped in his tracks outside gates. Glancing up, the over extravagant sign for Stark Expo lighted his face. Howard didn't wait for him and Bucky tripped over his feet in order to catch up to the man.

The more Bucky looked around, the quicker he realised that the usually filled to the brim expo was empty. Which was odd. This time of year, the place was in full swing with inventions and new theme park rides being show cased and tried.

Howard stopped in front of the giant globe situated in the middle of the compound. There had been some changes done to the garden around the globe. New flowers and hedges lined the path with a tree situated in the middle of each little garden. There were candles placed along the floor in random clusters, rose petals littered the area. There was a picnic blanket laid out and a bail of ice with a wine bottle and glasses.

Bucky frowned, not understanding.

"Howard, what is this?" Bucky asked.

Howard took a tentative step forward, his hands opening out before he struggled to say what needed to be said.

"I'm an ass. I forget things. I put on this fake air of loving everyone in my face all the time. And for the last month or so, I've caused you more misery then I ever wanted to do," Howard listed.

Bucky frowned.

"But you came. I... honestly expected to be stood up," Howard continued.

Bucky studied Howard for a moment. "You're right. You can be a pain to deal with, you're too involved with work, you barely sleep, more often then not you're grumpy and you've seem to dismiss me as if the last five years was nothing."

"I had really thought about not coming but then I know I would've regretted it."

"What happened Howard? What did I do?" Bucky's voice almost broke.

That was a stab in the heart for Howard. He rushed over to Bucky and took the man in his arms, pushing his head gently down to his shoulder.

"Oh god, Bucky," Howard gasped, "Nothing. You did nothing. I'm so sorry. Bucky, I'm so sorry."

In his arms, Bucky trembled. Everything came crashing down and was too much for Bucky to bear. Bucky knew that Howard wouldn't judge him so he took a moment, stayed in those arms a bit longer then necessary until those shaking shoulders no longer moved and he felt his strength return to fight anither battle.

"Bucky," Howard whispered.

Their lips met shyly and briefly. Howard stepped back away from Bucky, ignoring that pain reflecting in those brown eyes.

"Do you remember our first conversation?" Howard asked, "That night five years ago."

Bucky nodded, not trusting his voice, which was weird since he normally didn't care what he said.

"I wanted this night to be perfect. I wanted to do more then this," Howard waved his hand around to mean what was set up, "You deserve so much and ...."

Howard took a deep breath, reached into his pocket to draw out a tiny black velvet box. Swallowing hard, he knelt down on one knee and opened the small object as he held it out to Bucky.

"James Barnes, I know I create more problems then fix them, I'm a work-a-holic, I've caused you so pain, especially lately but I can't imagine my life without you. You are everything to me," Howard said.

"Would you do the honors of becoming my husband?"

A tear trickled down Bucky's cheek. He'd come here expecting to have things ended. He had lost count the amount of nightmares he had of Howard realising that what they had was nothing and dumping his ass for some attractive woman. 

This caught him too off guard.

Howard rose to his feet and took hold of Bucky's hand, squeezing it lightly.

"I'm pretty sure you're supposed to answer," Howard pointed out.

Bucky nodded and when he spoke, his voice was hoarse, "Yes."

Make that 6 things.


End file.
